Sparking vistas await at Lake Ontelaunee

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Insider tips on exploring our area

At just under 3,200 acres, Lake Ontelaunee offers visitors dozens of shimmering vistas. But the western Berks County reservoir's most striking view is likely to remain one of its least widely known.

Blame the low profile on a recent bridge closing, which further isolated the northwestern edge of the lake. Even when the bridge was open, this section was not the most popular destination for visitors.

It is still possible to find the vista by traveling to the crest of a hill on West Shore Drive, west and north of the lake. The climb is a gentle one, over quiet, two-lane country roads. It builds gradually for more than a mile and it offers no hint that the road ahead is about to drop sharply into the valley below.

When the lake view appears, it comes as a pleasant surprise. The view doesn't suggest the lake is shaped like an asymmetrical salamander, as it is drawn on maps, The bridge was closed earlier this year, part of the aftermath of the bridge disaster in Minnesota, which called into question the safety of many older U.S. bridges. But, even before the closing, the western edge of the lake was always the least-used section, tucked well away from Route 73, the main road that skirts along the lake's southern edge.

While the bridge closing has sharply reduced traffic, it also has improved the area for walking, or cycling. If the cyclists aren't allergic to a hill or two, the roads leading from West Shore Drive eventually wind through some of the quiet Berks County country roads cyclists treasure.

The lake itself is a water source for the city of Reading, about 12 miles to the south and west, so no boating or swimming is permitted. Shoreline fishing is permitted and the lake is a popular spot for bass. The lake is also one of the best spots for ice fishing in the region.

While Ontelaunee's role as a reservoir limits a visitor's recreational options, it adds a significant element to the scenery, namely one of the region's most striking spillways, which helps control the lake water's flow into Maiden Creek. The creek eventually courses into the Schuylkill River north of Reading.

The spillway is beneath the stretch where Route 73, or West Shore Drive, passes over the lake. A large, unpaved parking lot near the southeastern end of the bridge marks the area where a short path leads to a set of chipped stone steps. The stairs take visitors to an observation deck with a mid-level view of the spillway, and the headwaters of Maiden Creek.

Next to the creek, Bowers Road, partly paved, partly dirt and rough gravel, parallels the creek for a time. After a half-mile, Bowers connects to Wileys Road, where a steel bridge takes motorists over Maiden Creek. The creek, especially near the steel bridge, also is popular with anglers.

It's possible to walk around most but not all of the lake. Access to the shoreline north of the spillway is restricted. So, too, are the state game lands west of Bowers Road.

Most of the trails near the lake are accessible from Calcium Road, which intersects Route 73 at an odd angle, just as the lake comes into view, about three-quarters of a mile from Route 222. Keep in mind the area around the lake is state game land and is popular with hunters, who tend to park along Calcium Road and walk into the thick brush. Wear plenty of safety orange, or, better still, restrict your hiking visits to a Sunday, when no hunting is permitted.

Anyone searching for a new lake to explore would do well to give Lake Ontelaunee a visit.

tim.blangger@mcall.com

610-820-6722

THE DETAILS

LAKE ONTELAUNEE

Where: Maidencreek, Ontelaunee, Richland and Perry townships, about 26 miles west of Allentown .

When: Day-use area only .

Restrictions: No boating, swimming.

Tip: For best view, take Route 222 west to Moselem Springs Road, west of Kutztown. Turn right and follow road for several miles to a Y-intersection. Turn left on Stitzel Lane, which ends at West Shore Drive. Turn left and follow West Shore, which drops into a valley. Detour signs after the descent re-connect motorists to West Shore Drive.